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Chemical cautery is the use of a caustic chemical, most often silver nitrate, to destroy a small area of tissue or stop minor bleeding, as opposed to using heat or electric current. Product labels describe it as cauterization of skin or mucous membrane. The labels for these products also carry caustic and eye warnings and a notice that they are unapproved drugs.
Definition and scope
Cautery means deliberately damaging tissue to achieve a result. Thermal cautery uses a heated tip. Electrocautery and electrosurgery use electric current; the difference between those is covered in what an electrosurgical unit is. Chemical cautery uses a caustic agent instead. Encyclopedic summaries (Wikipedia) describe chemical agents used for small skin lesions, warts, necrotic tissue and hemostasis, and name silver nitrate, trichloroacetic acid and cantharidin as examples.
This page is a product-information explainer for lab, clinic and supply staff. It is not clinical guidance and does not describe how to perform a procedure.
How it is used in practice: what the labels say
The clearest primary evidence of how a chemical cautery product is meant to be used is its drug label. Two silver nitrate applicator labels on DailyMed (the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s label database), checked 2026-10-29, both state the same indication: For cauterization of skin or mucous membrane and for removing warts and granulated tissue.
- Composition. One 6-inch applicator listing gives silver nitrate 38.21 mg and potassium nitrate 12.74 mg per applicator (75% and 25%), with hydrochloric acid and sodium chloride as inactive ingredients.
- Wetting liquid. That label directs that the tip be moistened with distilled, deionized or purified water, and states that saline should not be used to wet the tips. It also warns that residual saline from wound flushing can interfere with the action of silver nitrate.
- Warnings.
Keep out of reach of children,
do not use on the eyes,
andsilver nitrate is a caustic substance. Chemical burns may result from inappropriate use of product.
- Storage.
Store in the closed package at room temperature in a dry place protected from light.
- Staining. The labels state that silver salts stain tissue black due to deposition of reduced silver.
Label wording differs by manufacturer, so the label of the product actually in hand is the authority for its use.
Types and related concepts
Silver nitrate applicators are the product format covered by the two labels above. Secondary sources name other agents used for chemical cautery or hemostasis, including trichloroacetic acid, cantharidin, ferric subsulfate solution and aluminum chloride hexahydrate. Those agents are not described beyond their names, because the DailyMed labels cited here cover silver nitrate only. Minor-procedure supply lists, such as the hemostasis section of the dermatology office supply checklist and the podiatry office supply checklist, show where these items sit in a clinic inventory. For a cutting instrument used in the same settings, see what a scalpel is.
Where it matters for labs, clinics and supply decisions
Regulatory status
Both DailyMed labels list the marketing category as unapproved drug other
, and one carries the statement that the drug has not been found by FDA to be safe and effective and that its labeling has not been approved by FDA. For anyone maintaining a formulary or supply catalogue, that status is a fact about the product category that appears on the label itself.
A label-reading checklist for staff
Every item below is something the two cited DailyMed labels state. Check the same items on any product you stock:
- Active ingredients and amounts per applicator, and whether a second salt is present.
- The stated indication wording.
- The liquid the label specifies for moistening the tip, and any warning about saline.
- The eye warning and the caustic or chemical-burn warning.
- Storage conditions: closed package, room temperature, dry, protected from light.
- The note on staining of tissue.
- The marketing category and any FDA disclaimer.
Infection-control programs that cover minor procedures are discussed in the surgical site infection prevention bundle elements guide.
Common misunderstandings
- Cautery always means heat. It does not; chemical cautery relies on a caustic agent rather than a heated tip or electric current.
- Chemical cautery is the same as electrosurgery. They are different mechanisms. Electrosurgery uses electric current delivered by a generator.
- Any wetting liquid will do. The DailyMed labels specify distilled, deionized or purified water and says saline should not be used.
- A product on the shelf has been approved as safe and effective by FDA. The cited labels list the product as marketed as unapproved drugs.
FAQ
What is chemical cautery?
It is the use of a caustic chemical such as silver nitrate to destroy small areas of tissue or aid hemostasis, rather than heat or electric current.
What does a silver nitrate applicator contain?
The DailyMed labels list 38.21 mg silver nitrate and 12.74 mg potassium nitrate per applicator, with hydrochloric acid and sodium chloride inactive.
Is silver nitrate cautery FDA approved?
The two cited DailyMed labels give the marketing category as unapproved drug other, with an FDA statement that the drug has not been found safe and effective.
How should the applicators be stored?
The labels state: in the closed package, at room temperature, in a dry place protected from light.
Sources
- DailyMed, silver nitrate 6-inch applicators (Grafco), U.S. National Library of Medicine, checked 2026-10-29: https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/fda/fdaDrugXsl.cfm?setid=e5ebf7aa-fbe5-45b1-e053-2a95a90a5cbf&type=display
- DailyMed, silver nitrate applicator stick label, U.S. National Library of Medicine, checked 2026-10-29: https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=b7634e27-3c75-4e56-ab42-3e5796edb0c7
- Wikipedia, Cauterization (secondary, definition only), checked 2026-10-29: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cauterization
